Hiring and managing top-notch data center employees makes all the difference in a company's work flow. Kenneth Hess talks about what makes these key players tick.

Meeting these five people will not make you feel better about your misspent youth or explain your mission in life, but it could provide valuable insight into your data center, its services and the staff who support it. Whether you're a system administrator who needs physical access to a data center or a business owner who uses data center computing power, you should meet the people who support and maintain your data center. These five people are responsible for the daily security, maintenance, protection, cleanliness and management of your data center. Take time out of your schedule to meet them in theory today and soon in person when you visit the facility. You will not regret the choice to do so.

The people who support the data center are ready to serve you, your business and your customers. They're focused on delivery and maintaining a solid service. However, don't assume they are your personal servants; they aren't. They serve everyone's interests equally. It's important to meet them so both you and they can put a face to the business and the service; otherwise, your business is that set of 15 servers in Rack 14 at Location S52, and they are data center drones with no personalities who love to reboot your systems.

1. Data Center Security Personnel

The first person you meet in the data center is the man or woman in blue: Security. Security personnel grant you initial access to the data center with a visitor's badge or an escort. For those not visiting the data center in "one off" fashion, security personnel also set up your eye scans and badge access, and maintain physical protection for the facility. The people in blue also watch the security cameras and keep a vigilant eye on hallways, access points, streets and Headline News (CNN) for terror and threat updates. Security personnel are your data center's best human investment.